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Earlier this month, Roger Goodell made his most definitive statement yet on the NFL’s plans for a full-time international market. “At some point, there will be NFL teams outside the USA,” the NFL commissioner told German outlet RTL/ntv. “I have no doubt that this will happen one day.”
This declaration opens seemingly endless possibilities but raises just as many questions. The league’s commitment to international play — it will play nine games on foreign soil this season and up to 10 next season — is evident at every quarterly league meeting. The exposure will only mushroom. Fans should loosely prepare for one international game per week as part of an eventual 18-game schedule. But settling on a full-time NFL location outside of the United States will take time, with many criteria to consider: Stadium quality, community support, local economy, media deals and, perhaps most importantly, travel logistics.
That last factor could require an international team to utilize an alternate hub on an American coast for game prep, free agent workouts and other needs. “All of the [sites] have their positives — and their obstacles,” a high-ranking official with an NFL team pointed out.
Since Goodell seems eager to work through these issues sooner rather than later, we asked team executives around the league to select sites that would be best for the league. Here are the cities that came up in those conversations.
Metro population: 14.4 million
Distance from nearest NFL city: 3,267 miles (Patriots)
Number of games hosted: 41
Time zone: 5 hours ahead of ET, 8 hours ahead of PT
London is the overwhelming favorite among league executives. “Traveling there is pretty turnkey at this point, and they have developed the infrastructure in place over the last decade,” an AFC executive reported. “You almost don’t need a bye week after playing there.”
The NFL’s history in London spans five decades, first hosting a game there in 1983 and committing to the site more consistently since 2007. The Jacksonville Jaguars play annually in Wembley Stadium and have consistently renewed the agreement for future games in London.
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Many in the league are impressed with Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which opened in 2019 to great fanfare. The design reminds one team executive of the Bills’ Highmark Stadium, a $2.2 billion facility that opens this year. “It’s got the facilities, a large economy and the population,” a separate AFC executive reported. “The fanbase there is passionate.”
The travel is long but manageable, a seven-hour flight from New York and between 10 and 11 hours from Los Angeles. The strong fan interest and London’s status as a European cultural hub make the city a natural fit.
Metro population: 21.8 million
Distance from nearest NFL team: 990 miles (Cowboys)
Number of games hosted: 6
Time zone: 2 hours behind ET, 1 hour ahead of PT
Mexico City’s NFL profile is growing. The metropolis hosted games from 2016 to 2022, and after a three-year lull, the NFL is slated to play games in Banorte Stadium from 2026 to 2028. League execs like that the travel is reasonable — about a 2.5-hour flight from Dallas, three-plus hours from Los Angeles — and the fanbase is passionate about the NFL. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers are among teams with a large Mexican following.
“I feel like the ideal spot is one where we’ve been in for a length of time, because trying to start from scratch would be too complicated,” an NFC executive reported. “Travel is the biggest impediment, and Mexico is a manageable trip.”
Banorte has undergone renovations, but as one executive pointed out, the promise of a new stadium might make sense for any prospective full-time market to entice the NFL. Mexico City’s massive sprawl makes the financial pitch easy.
Population: 5.8 million
Distance from nearest NFL team: 98 miles (Bills)
Number of games hosted: 6
Time zone: even with ET, three hours ahead of PT
The NFL hasn’t played a game in Toronto since Dec. 1, 2013, when the Atlanta Falcons won a 34-31 overtime thriller over the Buffalo Bills, who played occasional games there from 2008 to 2012. But, as pointed out earlier, NFL teams value travel logistics when weighing international prospects. Toronto would be a palatable hub: a two-hour drive from Buffalo, a four-hour drive from Detroit and a short flight from Cleveland, Pittsburgh and many other Northeast spots.
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“Major market, easy logistics and the city knows how to do professional sports,” an AFC executive reported.
One potential knock: The Bills serve as Canada’s unofficial NFL team. Adding a nearby team might feel redundant.
Toronto would also likely need a new football stadium. Rogers Centre’s renovations changed seating configurations, thus negating the ability to accommodate football games, and nearby BMO Field has a capacity under 30,000. The Toronto market’s population and strong economy make it an attractive option.
Population: 6.2 million
Distance from nearest NFL team: 3,800 miles (Patriots)
Number of games hosted: 1
Time zone: 6 hours ahead of ET, 9 hours ahead of PT
Berlin is new to the NFL scene, hosting the Indianapolis Colts and Falcons last season and prepping for games in 2027 and 2029 as part of a multiyear agreement with the league. But the early returns are good, with Germany firmly on the radar of some in the league. Three German cities (Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich) have hosted games.
“There’s strong football interest in Germany,” an AFC executive reported. “They want to be a player, and the fans are really into it.”
By all accounts, the vibes coming out of the 2025 game were high, from the pregame tailgating scene to signage all over town. Added a separate AFC official: “Great atmosphere. The (Colts-Falcons) game sold out really quickly, it was loud all game and there was definitely buzz in the city and downtown.”
Olympiastadion has been around since the 1930s and undergone multiple renovations, but looked imposing on the game’s television broadcast.
Multiple cities could work here. In fact, Frankfurt has hosted NFL games and is also the former home of NFL Europe. But Berlin is the country’s biggest city at approximately 3.8 million people. Germany is a hike — flying from New York to Berlin takes around eight hours — but it also has the world’s third-largest economy.
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